General Practice Nursing in the 21st Century: A Time Of Opportunity

Transcription

1 General Practice Nursing in the 21st Century: A Time Of Opportunity 1

2 Contents 1.Chief Executive s Introduction 2.Why this survey? 3.Headline findings 4.Background 5.Findings Workforce Profile Employing organisation Multiple jobs Pay band Increments based on performance Salary Hours of work Working evenings and weekends Annual leave Indemnity cover Job Title Line management Annual appraisals NMC revalidation Qualifications Professional development Entry to and preparation for GP Nursing General Practice Nursing as a career Roles and responsibilities Home visiting Additional areas of responsibility Workload pressures Multidisciplinary working General Practice Nurse skills GPN and District Nurse roles 6.Conclusion 7. Required actions 8. References Edited by Matthew Bradby and Chloe McCallum Copyright: The Queen s Nursing Institute

3 General Practice Nurses have something important to say and they wish their stories to be heard. 1.Chief s Executive s Introduction When The Queen s Nursing Institute embarked on a national survey of General Practice Nurses (GPNs), the aim was to reach at least 1000 nurses working in primary care around the UK. The survey was required to provide the QNI with robust evidence to support our ongoing campaign for excellence in nursing in the community and primary care - rather than relying on anecdotes from practice - albeit that these stories gave a consistent message about the challenges and opportunities faced by GPNs. Within a week of the survey opening we had exceeded our target response and by the time the survey closed some ten weeks later, we had responses from 3,405 nurses, representing approximately 15% of the entire GPN workforce in the UK. The large number of comprehensive responses tells a story in itself: General Practice Nurses have something important to say and they wish their voices to be heard. Furthermore, they trusted the QNI with their stories and to provide a considered analysis of the huge amount of data we were given. My thanks to all those who took the time to complete the survey, to tell us about the joys of working as a nurse in general practice and also the challenges. Above all, theirs is a story of opportunity: the opportunity to work as highly skilled, autonomous practitioners and to serve a local community but also the unrealised opportunity for a higher profile and a more comprehensive, supported role in meeting the needs of the registered population. Arguably, there has never been a better time of opportunity for nurses working in general practice, with a current focus on policies to transform primary care and provide an increasing range of services based on the needs of the local community registered with the General Practitioner service (Primary Care Workforce Commission, 2015; NHS England, 2014). General Practice Nurses have the potential to contribute significantly to the transformation agenda and to offer a comprehensive and supportive nursing service to their patients which focuses on health promotion and supported self-care. Following an exploration of the findings, the report concludes with a call to action to address the issues raised, which require an urgent response. We anticipate that action will be needed locally, regionally and nationally to address the issues we have identified - at the level of employer through to the national statutory bodies, which form part of the structure of our NHS. The QNI will be responding to the findings too. In 2016, we will publish our online resource: Transition to General Practice Nursing, to support nurses who are new to the role. Following our launch with QNI Scotland (QNIS) of new voluntary standards for District Nurse Education and Practice (QNI/QNIS, 2015), in 2016 we will develop QNI/QNIS voluntary standards for General Practice Nurse Education and Practice, to enhance the existing NMC standards for specialist GPN practice. We will also use the findings to support nurses working in primary care and to campaign for excellent nursing care for individuals, families and carers in their local communities. Dr Crystal Oldman 3

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5 Nurses in General Practice provide significant levels of intervention and support at every point during a person s life. 2. Why this survey? In this study, the QNI has sought to create a snapshot of the role of the General Practice Nurse (GPN) in 2015, based on the perspectives of the nurses themselves. The study was inspired by the 2020 Vision reports that the QNI published in 2009 and 2014, which focused on the work of the District Nurse (DN). Those studies highlighted the particular challenges facing District Nurses, which have led to specific policy responses from the QNI and other healthcare organisations, which are still ongoing. We therefore wished to replicate this work to highlight the unique challenges facing General Practice Nurses, who work in a very different setting to those in the DN service and whose employment structure is completely unlike that of their DN colleagues. As most GPNs work in small teams, employed by small independent organisations, they are subject to an extremely wide variety of terms and conditions, educational and development opportunities and career structures. This survey illustrates and celebrates that variety, but also indicates that standardisation in some areas would be welcome. By gathering and publishing information about the profession, it is hoped that this will enable policy makers, employers, and nurses themselves to be better equipped to deal with current and future challenges and to embrace new opportunities as they arise. It is clear from the survey that many enter the General Practice Nursing service because of the flexibility that it offers, combined with the challenge, variety, opportunity and inherent value of the nursing work that can be offered in general practice. It is vital to ensure that these elements that make General Practice Nursing work appealing are maintained and developed, in order that nurses continue to be attracted into the service and good staff retained, continuing to develop their skills and knowledge while in the role. The report is designed to inform the work taking place on the future direction of primary care and the development of new service models. It provides a clear description of the current state of the General Practice Nurse workforce from the perspective of the nurses working in GP practices and reveals that nurses can be at the centre of future service models in primary care, providing high quality, competent care for their local communities. The headline findings are summarised below. 3. Headline findings Patients This survey validates the role of the General Practice Nurse and the significant levels of intervention and support provided by nurses in General Practice at every point in time during a person s life, from infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood, to middle and older age. Workforce 33.4% of General Practice Nurses are due to retire by 2020 Men are under-represented, comprising only 2.0% of the General Practice Nurse workforce 43.1% did not feel their nursing team has the right number of appropriately qualified and trained staff to meet the needs of patients At the time of the survey 78.8% had considered preparation for NMC re-validation Education 53.0% reported that their employer always supports their professional development 10.6% hold an NMC recordable specialist practice qualification in General Practice Nursing 32.6% of General Practice Nurses are independent prescribers Just 27.0% of the employers offered placements for pre-registration nursing students, compared to 61.5% offering placements to medical students Employment 22.8% of nurses working in General Practice have two jobs 32.6% of General Practice Nurses reported working evening sessions (after 6pm) and 18.5% work weekends Over 38.3% indicated that they undertook visits to patients at home Only 35% felt that their salary reflected their role within the practice Salary and other terms and conditions such as annual leave entitlement vary widely 5

6 Contents 4. Background The Queen s Nursing Institute The QNI was established in 1887 to train District Nurses, but from the 1970s the remit of the charity has broadened to provide a wide range of support to all community nurses, including General Practice Nurses. The title of Queen s Nurse (QN) was reintroduced by the charity in 2006 and General Practice Nurses are eligible to apply for the QN title. As the focus of care delivery moves to primary care, and disease prevention and treatment in the community, it is envisaged that more nurses will move from secondary care to the diversity of community settings. In order for them to make this transition effectively, the QNI is dedicated to providing knowledge resources and other forms of support. The QNI is currently in the process of publishing a new online resource, Transition to General Practice Nursing which will serve as an introduction to the main themes of working in this setting. The resource is based on already published resources for District Nurses and those entering School Nursing. Previous GPN surveys The QNI has not previously carried out a survey of General Practice Nurses. Our findings build on recent surveys from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN, 2010) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP, 2014), whilst providing a broader, current picture of General Practice Nursing. Survey method The QNI used SurveyMonkey to collect responses from 21 April 2015 to 28 June The survey was promoted principally via nursing media (printed and online) and by the QNI s own networks, including and social media channels nurses responded and respondents had the option to skip questions. This report presents a detailed analysis of both the qualitative and quantitative data that was supplied by respondents. Percentage values given below refer to the number of nurses as a proportion of respondents to that question, or as a proportion of the total number of respondents where stated. 4. Findings The QNI operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our sister charity, QNI Scotland, is based in Edinburgh and operates exclusively in Scotland. It was not practicable to limit the survey to particular parts of the UK; however nurses were asked in what region of the UK they work, which showed a broad geographical spread of all regions. In terms of country distribution, the respondents are located as follows: Country Number of GPNs Percentage England % Wales % Northern Ireland % Scotland % Total responses 3426 This was the first time that the QNI has carried out a survey of nurses in general practice, so it was not possible to compare results of this survey to a previous QNI sample. However, a review of recent surveys of General Practice Nurses carried out by the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of General Practitioners was made when compiling this report, to help establish any common themes or trends that have been reported in recent years. Respondents were asked for the size of the registered population that their practice covers. Registered List Number of GPNs Percentage Under % % 10,000-14, % 15,000-19, % 20, % Skipped question 577 6

7 23.1% of survey respondents have more than one job. Workforce profile Almost 98% of respondents were female. This represents a higher proportion than in other branches of nursing. The survey did not establish reasons for this, but further investigation could be carried out with male nurses to help determine why so few men enter this specialist area of the profession. A large number of respondents indicated that childcare and other family circumstances were a major reason why they entered General Practice, which may help explain the preponderance of women in the workforce. The majority, some 98.5%, were registered Adult Nurses, 1.0% of respondents were registered Children s Nurses, 0.3% were registered Mental Health Nurses and 0.2% were registered Learning Disability Nurses. Employing organisation The large majority are employed by General Practitioners, but there is a significant number who work for a variety of other organisations, and some are self-employed. Employing organisation Number of GPNs General Practitioner 2971 Local Community Nursing Provider 66 Social Enterprise 23 Community Interest Company 13 Private Company 84 Clinical Commissioning Group 86 University 29 Self-employed 61 Multiple jobs 23.1% of survey respondents have more than one job, which reinforces the flexible nature of this career path and confirms the previous finding by the RCN in 2009 that 22% of General Practice Nurses have an additional job. However, this may also indicate that some nurses are compelled to hold more than one job for reasons outside of their control, for example to achieve a high enough salary or to enable them to manage other commitments. Respondents were able to comment about the nature of their multiple jobs, which revealed the breadth of their individual experiences. Answers included university lecturer, bank nurse, chiropractor, flight nurse, specialist nurse (e.g. respiratory), midwife, outreach work, nursing home, out of hours nursing, travel clinic, walk in centre, CCG Lead Nurse. Some indicated that they held three different jobs, and one respondent listed five, writing: To balance my family life I work 16 hours a week as a practice nurse. I also work from home for [the] Open University as a practice tutor for pre-reg nursing students 5 hours a week. I have 3 zero hours contracts as a staff nurse, district nurse and smoking cessation advisor and usually work 3-4 shifts a month. Whilst having 5 jobs sounds excessive it is much easier than one district nursing post and much better for my stress levels and my family. Pay Band There is no agreed pay scale for nurses working in general practice. Respondents were asked which pay band reflects their salary. Pay Band Number of GPNs % % % % % Nurse Partner % Prefer not to say Other (please specify) % 430 Percentage of total respondents 38.1% responded with Band 6, and 23.5% with Band 7. This smaller number at Band 7 may reflect the number of more senior nurses within practices, who are in a position of managing teams, or may simply reflect local variation, experience or other reasons for seniority. 7

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9 My salary compared to that of my peers - who work in secondary care with the same qualification - is much less. 430 respondents added comments, many of them indicating that they did not know which pay band they were on, or that their practice did not use pay bands, or that they were paid according to the Whitley Scale (the pay scales agreed by the General Whitley Council that preceded Agenda for Change pay scales that were introduced in case-studies-and-resources/2015/03/afc-pay-scales). Some nurses commented with an hourly rate, on a range between and 22 and just 1.6% of respondents answered that they were a Nurse Partner. Increments based on performance Respondents were asked if they had increments applied to their salary based on their performance. The large majority, representing 81.5%, responded negatively. 9.7% responded yes, and the remainder gave qualified answers or in some cases were unsure. Comments included: As far as I understand it, as I become more skilled - and bring in more money for the practice, I will hopefully have some reflection of this in my pay. If this does not happen then I may move on, as at the moment Practice Nurses are difficult to recruit where I live so the nurse is in a position of strength (for once). No - within general practice the majority of staff have to fight and negotiate for ANY form of salary increase/ enhancements/increments. GPS are classed as private employers and so staff do not benefit from NHS recruitment / salary initiatives i.e. Agenda for Change! No, I had a pay rise due to handing in my notice and 2 weeks prior to leaving the partners apologised and offered me a pay rise in order to stay which I accepted. I have worked at the surgery for 4 years and this was my only pay rise. No, Practice Nurses are mostly employed by GPs who can pay us what they like. Whilst trying to negotiate my own pay rise last year (the first for 6 years,) I rang round several other local surgeries to find that Practice Nurses, who are all doing the same job get very different salaries and remuneration. No. Whenever I have completed some training that means I gain a new skill I have had to negotiate an increase in my salary to reflect the new role I am performing. Other colleagues who are uncomfortable doing this have had no increase in salary. We do not have an incremented pay scheme at work and do not know a GP surgery that does. I feel this would be a worthwhile structure as you can see where you are and where you are likely to get to if you continue to broaden your practice base skills/ specialist areas The surgeries I have worked in have all compared the current practice nurse salary to the agenda for change pay spine but have never taken on the incremental pay. Do you think your salary reflects your role? Respondents were able to respond to this question with free text. Approximately 35% answered yes or equivalent. The remainder (65%) either answered no or gave an equivalent negative response, in some cases emphatically so. Some answers entered into more detail about their reasoning for their answer. That two thirds of General Practice Nurses believe they are not properly remunerated should be a cause of concern to their employers and to commissioners responsible for staff retention and workforce planning. A selection of typical comments is given below: We have quite a bit [of] responsibility, within lone working, chronic disease management and being encouraged to undergo nurse prescribing, which I feel a pay band 5-6 does not reflect. My role as clinical nurse manager, I am responsible for all clinical areas including infection control, health and safety, policies with the practice, purchasing, education, invoicing and claims for enhanced services. Managing all if this gives me a remuneration if p/h. No. I am the clinical lead nurse. I mentor junior nurses and advise on all aspects of the role to colleagues. I am paid the equivalent of 15 / hr gross, which I do not feel reflects the degree of responsibility, stress, organisational and department management and organisational skills that my role entails. I earned 9

10 Contents more in the private sector in a nursing home without my degree and masters level qualifications. No. I think we are taking on more and more responsibility. INR clinics, 24 hour blood pressure monitoring, post-natal checks, increased number of childhood/teenage immunisation, medication reviews, annual chronic disease checks, over 75 health checks, NHS health checks, smears, injections, phlebotomy etc. to name but a few. Not at all. I am a supplementary and independent prescriber and my salary compared to that of my peers who work in secondary care with the same qualification is much less. I work very much in isolation and am often the only clinician on the premises which carries a great deal of autonomy and responsibility. Hours of work The number of hours worked shows a very broad spread, with the large majority of nurses working between 16 and 40 hours per week. This data supports the comments made by respondents (see below why nurses entered general practice) around the importance of flexibility and work-life balance. Number of hours Number of GPNs worked Job 1 Job 2 Total up to to to to to to to to Respondents were able to add additional comments. Some respondents commented that they worked up to 50 hours per week, and many commented that their hours varied from one week to another. Hours of unpaid overtime worked per week Working some unpaid overtime is not unusual for many GPNs. The table suggests that many nurses are working thirty minutes to an hour more than their contracted hours each day. Less than one third of those who responded report doing no overtime at all. Number of unpaid hours worked Number of GPNs Percentage None % % % % % % More than % Skipped question 126 Working evenings and weekends Unsocial hours worked Number of GPNs Weekends % Evening sessions (after 6pm) % Percentage of total respondents 32.6% work some evening sessions, and 18.5% work weekend sessions. It should be noted that the question specified evening working as after 6pm, so GPNs working up to 6.30pm for example, would be classified as working in the evening respondents gave additional commentary around how often they do additional hours and whether this is remunerated at an additional rate. It is difficult to produce exact numbers around how many enjoy an enhanced rate, as not all nurses commented on this specific issue. The majority of those who did comment on this point indicated that they received normal rates of remuneration, in some cases pointing out that this was determined as a policy by the CCG, within certain hours. For example, enhanced rates only applied after 8pm. Only a very small number indicated that they received additional payments, and these were typically 1.5 times their normal salary rate. 10

11 The number who report having less than 20 days annual leave is a cause for concern. Reasons given for undertaking out of hours work included flu clinics, family planning clinics, to reduce pressure on Accident and Emergency, as part of 7 day access pilots, or for regular extended hours sessions held one evening per week or a Saturday morning. Many of the survey respondents indicated elsewhere that they chose General Practice Nursing because it provides flexible working hours and so some evening and weekend working may reflect this choice and opportunity for flexible hours. The comments below reflect the views of nurses in relation to hours worked in the evening and weekends and the concern regarding the current government drive to have routine NHS services accessible for patients 7 days a week (NHS Commissioning Board GP nurses are often very good nurses that have opted for this work because of the hours. If they are forced to work unsociable hours we may well lose some of them from the NHS. 7 day working within general practice as hoped by the government will need extensive financial investment - there is no point is expecting current staff to cover this. One of the main problems with practice nursing is the GPS are private employers and so anything goes with regards to practice nurse / team terms & conditions / salary - there is no clout from the CCG / Government to ensure we are adequately reimbursed in salary / holidays / training needs - to the extent the rest of nurses are in the NHS. CCG etc. sympathise but do not have the power to ensure GPs are adequate employers and for practice nursing to proceed and expand to a new area this needs to be resolved. Annual Leave Nurses were asked how many days annual leave they are entitled to (pro rata). Number of days of annual leave Number of GPNs 19 or less % % Percentage % % % Other (please specify) Skipped question This range appears to broadly reflect what one would expect to find in the workforce. However the number who report having less than 20 days annual leave is a cause for concern. The 608 other comments included some who stated their numerical annual leave in other forms, and some who made comments regarding the reality of negotiating with GP partners for annual leave terms, for example retaining enhanced annual leave for long service built up with a previous employer. This situation stands in stark contrast to nursing colleagues employed by large provider organisations, whose terms and conditions are determined at a more collective and remote level, and whose remuneration is aligned with the Agenda for Change pay scale ( Indemnity Cover It is an NMC requirment to have indemnity for professional registration ( standards/code/). Nurses were asked who provided their indemnity cover. Whilst 66.4% of respondents said their employer provided their indemnity cover, others had their own cover, and 0.5% of respondents stated that they did not have any indemnity cover. There were comments made about the increasing cost of indemnity and how some employers were refusing to pay for it. It is also of note that whilst the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) does not provide 11

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13 Often patients think a Practice Nurse is someone practising to be a nurse. cover for employed nurses, a significant number of respondents commented that they are RCN members in response to this question. This suggests that some nurses have assumed that the RCN provide their indemnity. The following examples illustrate the comments received on this subject: BIG ISSUE - MDU have just increased my annual indemnity which the GPs pay from 695 per year to 6700 per year from Oct 2015 onward. My role may be made redundant as I am now too expensive to insure. I also know of nurse prescribers facing a significant increase and who have been stopped from prescribing as they are now too expensive to insure. This is crazy... shortage of nurses, shortage of GPs Held to ransom by greedy insurers and seemingly none of our professional bodies with the clout or authority to tackle this at national level. As a group of practice nurses we asked our practice manager to clarify this for us. That was about 6mths ago...still not heard!! Think about this periodically and it is concerning but then you are so busy in work and so stressed by the time you come home that it goes out of your mind again. My employer previously. However, I was being asked to change my contract to self-employed and get my own cover, I m not doing this, another reason why I m retiring. This has been a nightmare to sort, it is still being reassessed. GP contractors can be covered under a group scheme, which will include the practice nurses and employed staff; but because we are nurses we are not allowed to be involved in this scheme and must pay individually for our staff should we choose to. For 3 nurse partners alone the cost this year is 27000, with additional payments for our salaried doctors. This is an area that needs significant national consideration as it is blocking patient services and delivery of a scheme the government is trying to drive. I am particularly anxious as I have discussed this with some colleagues considering passing this cost directly to nurses - that is probably anything between depending on the extent of their role! Please help! Job Title Respondents were asked whether the job title General Practice Nurse was used in their place of employment. General Practice Nurse title Number of GPNs Yes % Percentage No % Skipped question 92 The survey asked what alternative job titles were used in the practice. The most common alternative title used is Practice Nurse (77%). Respondents also noted that other job titles Nurse Practitioner, ANP (Advanced Nurse Practitioner) or Sister were being used. From the data it is clear that either Practice Nurse or General Practice Nurse are the most common job titles in use in this setting. Many commented that the title of Nurse Practitioner needs to be regulated. Some liked the generic title of General Practice Nurse/Practice Nurse, whilst others found it too vague. Some typical comments included: A very contentious issue! Often patients think a Practice Nurse is someone practising to be a nurse. Also titles vary in different locations so no real consistency or patient understanding of the complex and challenging job we now do. It does not reflect the experience and skills that I have, there is no differentiation between a newly qualified nurse, or someone new to general practice, and a senior nurse with years of experience and skills. I m concerned that there is a variation in the use of title especially around Nurse Practitioner or Advanced Nurse in Primary Care often without formal academic qualification/experience/activity to validate its use - confusing for patients and other clinicians alike. It is a pity that the nursing establishment never 13

14 Contents sorted out an accredited recognised course for Practice Nursing and for nurse practitioners. Some nurses seem to just choose one of these titles with little understanding of what the title really entailspatients don t recognise all these different titles anyway - to them you are always a nurse - they are always very happy to see you when you can sort them out to their own satisfaction. I prefer the term General Practice Nurse. Firstly because some patients think Practice means you are training, not that you work in a [GP] Practice, secondly because I think GP and GP Nurse are a bit clearer to the public that you both work in General Practice. I think it s great...a bit old fashioned but people understand it and I think it reflects my level of training and status. I am concerned over HCAs using the title nurse which is happening. I think we should be referred to as primary care nurse, in order to shift mind-sets towards integrated care and whole primary care nursing teams. These comments do indicate a degree of dissatisfaction with the most commonly used title of Practice Nurse. Arguably, what is most important, however, is the patient s understanding of the role and the scope of competence of the nurse working in a GP practice and this may be best conveyed by a title awarded against a set of education and practice standards which are regulated by the professional body (NMC). Line Management The survey asked the respondents for the position of their line manager. The responses show no overwhelming rule General Practice Nurses either report to practice managers, or to GPs or, in the case of junior nurses, to their senior nursing colleagues. However the Practice Manager appears to be a default option in many practices that employ just one nurse. Position of GPN s line manager Senior Nurse 800 Practice Manager 1668 Nurse Partner 48 General Practitioner 929 Other 150 Number of GPNs Job 1 Job 2 Total Responses to Other included self-employed, agency, Clinical Commissioning Group, Chief Executive of a private company, Director of Nursing, Nurse Practitioner and Team Leader. Some respondents specified that they are the Nurse Partner or Lead Nurse in their practice, with no line manager. Annual Appraisals Respondents were asked if they have annual appraisals. The number of respondents who receive an annual appraisal was encouraging, with more than 80% engaging in a review of their performance each year. This is particularly relevant given the introduction of revalidation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in April For comparison, the RCN also found that 80% of respondents had an annual appraisal in 2009, whilst the RCGP reported that a higher proportion (93.9%) had an annual appraisal in their 2014 survey. In receipt of an annual appraisal Number of GPNs Percentage Yes % No % Sometimes % Skipped question However, for almost 20% of the respondents, there was a lack of engagement with an annual appraisal process. It must be remembered, too, that engagement with the process does not always reflect a high quality experience, which was highlighted in the comments. Some typical comments included: All staff are supposed to have annual appraisals but the nursing team are often not prioritised and this 14

15 Over 28 years I ve had about 5 appraisals in all. The problem is that GPs are not trained to be managers. can lead to an 18 month-2 year review. Although these are performed by the lead nurse and feels like a paper exercise that needs to be completed for QOF. There is no guidance as to performance, service gaps or requirements. Contractually I m supposed to have one annually but in experience I find I have one when it s a QOF indicator for which the practice will be remunerated for doing! Although with the recent NMC revalidation the surgery will now take this seriously and I am just preparing for the first one. In my current job!! But over 28 years I ve had about 5 appraisals in all! The problem in GP land is that GPs are not trained to be managers and usually need to be chivvied by efficient practice managers to get nurse appraisals done. Experience has shown me that those practices that have got this right, have clerical or clinical managers who understand their role and ensure that all the GP administrative requirements are fulfilled. Who carries out the annual appraisal? Responsibility for the annual appraisal Number of GPNs Percentage GP % Practice Manager % Nurse Manager % Skipped question 254 The majority of the 843 respondents who commented further on this question indicated that it was a combination of staff who carried out their annual appraisal: usually the GP in conjunction with the Practice Manager. It is interesting that there is a substantial difference between the named line manager of the nurse (mostly a practice manager) and the person with whom they have their annual appraisal (mostly a GP or a senior nurse). This may reflect the need for a greater understanding of their clinical expertise when conducting an appraisal rather than general aspects of their performance within the review. NMC Revalidation Asked whether they had considered how they would meet the requirements of NMC revalidation, 80.7% of respondents said yes and 19.3% said no (80 people skipped this question). These figures are encouraging, given that at the time of the survey the date for implementation had yet to be agreed by the NMC. Respondents commented positively regarding actions they plan to undertake in order to meet the requirements of re-validation, which included attending study days, courses and practice updates; compiling their records into a portfolio, possibly using an online tool; collecting staff and patient feedback; further reading and online studying; appraisals and clinical supervisions; attending meetings to discuss revalidation; and writing reflective pieces about their experiences of CPD. Those with concerns around the process of revalidation were worried about the time required to complete it alongside their demanding workload, access to training, fees for online portfolio tools, insufficient information or support and not having a senior nurse to act as their confirmer. Some of these anxieties are shown in the comments below: It will take a great deal of work, and as understaffed and admin time minimal at work there will be no provision to undertake this during work time. Job satisfaction and motivation very low, with no immediate remedy, salary appalling with no pay rise/ increment for years. Thinking seriously about leaving Nursing, at a time when every incentive should be made to support and encourage Nurses to stay in the profession. I have been planning this, although I am struggling a bit as I don t get any protected time. Keeping clear documentation of work and training as well as reflection are going to be important. Time is going to be the problem. I am very lucky to have a supportive GP and 15

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17 32.6% of all respondents indicated that they are an independent prescribers. practice manager who encourage all members of staff to update, we are very forward thinking and motivational and enjoy keeping up to date to enhance our knowledge and skills, this will not be a problem to me, just finding time to reflect. I have been looking at RCN website and NMC guidelines but need to know more about what s expected and work out how I am going to manage my time & commitments to meet the requirements necessary to re-validate - have also been looking at early retirement or reducing my hours. Concerns me as keep written portfolio, but not sure re doing it online. All sites seen seem to be going to charge! Already pay RCN/NMC etc., feel another charge, feel reluctant. I am concerned as I am the only nurse in the Practice. Am hoping in my 2nd job where there is a senior nurse I may be able to be signed off. Also networking and discussions are hard as a lone practitioner. With some difficulty as I am the only Registered Nurse working for a single-handed GP. However, our local Practice Nurse forum is working towards us supporting each other and using the forum as a way to sign each other off and give each other help and support. Respondents were asked whether they have access to a clinical supervision. The number with no access to clinical supervision is of particular concern and is reflective of the nature of many nurses working in general practice, which can be professionally isolating and lack easy access to both formal and informal contact with peers and senior colleagues. Clinical supervision Number of GPNs Yes % Percentage No % Sometimes % Skipped question 82 Informal arrangements for clinical supervision were commonly described in the comments, and respondents revealed a variety of positive and negative experiences, for example: I feel that the clinical supervision available locally is largely inadequate and does not properly meet my needs. I have therefore sought out my own clinical supervision with a colleague outside of the area at my own cost and in my own time. I have a pastoral supervisor and a clinical supervisor who I meet with monthly, to look at my prescribing and clinical work, we have a daily meeting when we discuss cases and areas of concern. How nurses accessed clinical supervision revealed an extremely broad range of answers. Those who do have a regular clinical supervision were asked whether they could access this during working hours, to which 60.7% of respondents answered yes and 39.3% answered no. For those who could not access clinical supervision during working hours, this places additional pressure on the nurses to manage their professional supervision within their own time, rather than it being considered as part of the requirement to maintain their professional competence. Qualifications Respondents were asked if they had a specific qualification in General Practice Nursing. Qualifications SPQ General Practice Nursing (NMC recordable qualification) GPN Foundation Programme Advanced Nurse Practitioner (Primary Care) Nurse Practitioner (Primary Care) Number of GPNs % % % % Percentage of total respondents 17

18 Contents In addition, 32.6% of all respondents indicated that they are an independent prescriber and 25.8% said that they are an NMC qualified mentor. The survey also asked when respondents last updated their mentorship training. Most recent mentorship training update Number of GPNs Percentage Within the last year % 2 years ago % 3 years ago % More than 3 years % Total responses 1333 The NMC Mentorship qualification needs to be updated annually by the university that provides the students for the placements. For those who have not updated their qualification for 3 years or more, they are likely to have challenges in supporting students on a curriculum that may have changed during that time: the risk of being out of date with the teaching and learning needs of students is estimated to apply to more than 50% of all GPNs who hold the mentorship qualification. Respondents were asked whether their practice provided placements for medical students and preregistration nursing students. Provision of placements for students Number of GPNs No Yes Percentage Yes Medical students % Pre-registration nursing students Skipped question % 311 Our findings are similar to the RCGP 2014 survey, which found that 25% of respondents provide preregistration placements for student nurses. It is disappointing and concerning that such a limited number of practices offer the opportunity for placement learning to nursing students. If students are to be introduced to the diversity and challenge of work in a GP practice, and the rewards that it brings, it is important that they are able to undertake a placement during their pre-registration training. This becomes even more important when considering the concerns around staff retention and replacement. These views are echoed by nurses who gave further comments, shown below. General practice is only going to continue to grow, and with the difficulties of recruiting GP s there is a massive opportunity for nurses to develop their skills and become real specialists in this area. I think more time needs to be put into pre-reg nursing education around general practice and that a placement in the area should become mandatory. With the emphasis on caring for people in the community and avoiding hospital admission it surely makes sense for student nurses to spend more time in this area. I would like to see more GP practices supporting pre-registration nurses in placements and actively recruiting newly qualified nurses, as practice nurses are hugely under-represented in both these areas. There is a misconception that to apply for a practice nurse position you need to have many years post qualification experience, when in fact all you need is an open-minded employer willing to invest the same time and money into training newly qualified staff as someone who has pre-registration experience. Preceptorship is not complex, time consuming or difficult to arrange and is the only specific requirement of a newly qualified nurse in comparison to those with experience. Practice nursing is extremely rewarding for those who wish to run with the role and develop themselves. It is, I think, in many quarters still looked at as a nice, quiet job before retirement which it most certainly isn t. Nurses need to be very experienced and well trained before being left to face to face consultations with patients. We are responsible for the bulk of the work remunerated through QOF and as such it is up to us to make sure we are seen to be professional and knowledgeable, as this job will continue to take on the care of growing numbers of patients with chronic conditions, in the face of depleted numbers of GPs in the next 10 years. 18

19 Practice Nursing is, I think, in many quarters still looked at as a nice, quiet job before retirement which it most certainly isn t. Professional Development Respondents were asked what extent their employer supports/encourages their professional development and who pays for their Continuing Professional Development (CPD): Support for professional development from employer Number of GPNs Percentage Always % Sometimes % Rarely % Never % Skipped question 260 Responsible for payment to support CPD Number of GPNs Percentage My employer % Self-funding % A combination of sources Skipped question % 318 These figures are encouraging and indicate a broad level of support by employers for nurses professional development. However they also indicate that there are a minority for whom professional development is not supported. 460 respondents gave additional comments, which provide more information about the reasons why people found access to professional development difficult. Chief among these were time and cost. Where nurses wished to undertake training days, cover would need to be organised for their work. A typical comment was: The Nurse Team Manager is very supportive, particularly with courses that are a few hours to a day or two. The GPs/Practice Manager, less so. I did a MSc research project at the surgery - I paid and did it fully in my own time, with very little support or interest from the surgery. I also took a week s annual leave to do a contraception course I wanted to do. The question was asked if there were a specific number of days allocated for professional development. 25.3% said yes, 74.7% said no (298 people skipped this question). This supports the comments given around this subject, which tend to suggest that training is mostly organised on an ad-hoc basis, and negotiated on a personal level between nurses and their managers. Almost half of respondents (48%) indicated that they had to take annual leave or unpaid leave all or some of the time in order to access professional development (277 people skipped this question). Respondents were asked what educational or development opportunities were available to them, and the answers included NHS training days, statutory and mandatory training, university-based modules/courses, sponsored training days, online modules and informal learning from colleagues. Professional development undertaken in the last year by respondents included postgraduate or degree level modules at university, study days held by their employing organisation or a CCG, commercially sponsored study days, conferences, online training modules and distance learning. Only 0.6% of respondents had not undertaken any professional development in the last year (396 people skipped this question). This is particularly encouraging, but the lack of a systematic way in which CPD is planned, supported and accessed remains a concern. Respondents were asked about whether they felt there were gaps in their nursing knowledge, and the areas of their knowledge and skills which they considered required further development. Only a quarter of respondents did not feel they had any gaps and many nurses commented on the need for continuous improvement and learning to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. There are always new guidelines and updates for all the above and therefore as a PN I am constantly developing my skills and knowledge to try and keep up to date and ensure evidence based practice. 19

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21 I am sure there are a lot of very well qualified hospital nurses who are keen to move into primary care, but the pathway isn t clear. There will always be gaps, it is impossible to know everything; however, it is important to recognise your limitations and lack of knowledge. This enables you to continue developing and seeking help when you cannot manage a problem. Keeping up to date with ongoing changes is difficult. Further comments about education and training focused on the need for: Student placements and mentorship training; A general foundation programme for those beginning as a GPN; A clear career pathway throughout and The standardisation of training to reduce variation across practices. A common foundation programme that everyone has access to is important. We need to recruit younger nurses and give a transparent career pathway. It is a fantastic environment to gain huge amount of knowledge and skills and to really help people. Ongoing updates - similar to GP hot topics scheme is essential for those involved in same day acute care/minor illness as well as chronic disease management. Need national drive to standardise and ensure opportunities for those wishing to come into General Practice Nursing as well as a strong career framework. Whilst this is in development nationally it still remains long overdue. Also need to ensure nurses released to update. I try to keep updated on General Practice Nursing skills in CDM etc. but we also need help in keeping updated in all the changes in local service provisionreferral pathways, new services, closed services, changing roles of other health professionals. Every area should have a Practice Nurse Facilitator to oversee education and standards of GPNs - to offer advice on accessing training, to pick up those not keeping up to date etc. I think we need to consider some general foundation training for new practice nurses and we need to encourage practices to engage with student nurse placements. It is only by focussing on these things that we can ensure we have a future workforce fit for purpose. I feel a placement in general practice should be a mandatory part of a student nurses training. It would be inconceivable that a student nurse wouldn t go on a medical ward prior to qualifying, so why is it OK that they don t do a placement in general practice? It is the first point of healthcare access for the public and such a large volume of people are seen and treated within general practice. There needs to be an understanding by nurses of the importance of general practice, how it works, what the patient experiences, and to encourage more student nurses to seek a career in this area. We need widespread mentorship training to become mandatory to train the ongoing workforce. Unless it becomes mandatory we will not be released to do it. We need pre-reg students regularly spending time in general practice to consider practice nursing as a career option. We need a career structure whereby qualified nurses can then specialise and come out equipped with the necessary experience and qualifications in cervical screening/asthma/diabetes/ hypertension/immunisation etc. Until there is a financial incentive to take students (which I really enjoy doing) very few practices will take students. The training we are able to offer is very time consuming and a great deal of time and effort is put in. I am sure (like myself) there are a lot of very well qualified hospital nurses who are keen to move into primary care, but the pathway isn t clear, and not possible without clinical support. There should be a clearer pathway into primary care - possibly part time transition courses - that are advertised in the hospital setting, allowing for a flow of experienced staff. This needs to be more explicitly required, monitored and documented. Too many nurses are not trained and rely on QOF boxes and templates to dictate the care they give without understanding the rationale for and implications of what they do. There should be a national accredited network of clinical supervision, delivered locally but administered centrally to bridge 21

22 Contents this gap and ensure access to good quality education for all nurses resulting in better care for patients. It s very inconsistent and variable depending on the GP practice where nurse is employed. Extremely difficult to standardise and impose training and support as the GP independent contractor status can be a barrier. As GPs employ nurse directly they have influence over access and time given for nurse to do training/development. We should be aiming for a minimum standard for training for new nurses, standard induction and an ongoing training/ development programme. My experience is that access to training and development varies between practices, and can be at the whim of the employers. CCGs provide training opportunities, funding and access to support yet often General Practices feel this is not enough and will not allow their nursing staff to access training. I believe there should be more mandatory requirements for GPs as employers to provide learning and development opportunities to their nursing staff. For too long, General Practice has not been monitored regarding their obligation as employers to provide access to this for nurses. Nurse education is often seen as if secondary importance to medical education. The culture of General Practice must change and adapt so that they can become learning organisations for all staff. Entry to and preparation for General Practice Nursing The survey asked where respondents worked prior to general practice and allowed free responses on this question. Answers reflected that nurses came to general practice from every field of nursing and from both hospital and community environments. Common answers included: District Nursing Midwifery Health Visiting School Nursing Community Nursing Hospice General Hospital Acute care Surgical ward Accident and Emergency Others indicated that they had previously worked overseas, as a bank nurse, or in a private hospital. Nurses were asked how long they had worked in General Practice. They were given specific year options from 1 year up to 30+ years. The answers tend to suggest that some respondents rounded their answers to the nearest five years, as the number answering 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years was higher than for other numbers. We then asked how many years respondents had been qualified before they entered General Practice Nursing, with options from 1 year up to 25+ years. As with the above question, some respondents gave an approximate answer to the nearest five years. The pie charts therefore show the responses grouped in five year time bands. Respondents were also asked when they planned to retire. 22